- December 14, 2025
The City Council plans to eliminate Enterprise Flagler funding, saying the county should take the lead. The city will also decrease funding for economic development and the Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool, to maintain a level budget.
Enterprise Flagler would lose funding, economic development would only get half the proposed funding, and the Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool would be closed during the winter months — from late November to early April.
Those are the likely outcomes weighed at the Aug. 9 Palm Coast City Council workshop. No votes were taken and nothing is final, but the council is getting closer to setting its final 2012 budget. The latest proposal sets the city’s millage rate at 3.9900, or $3.99 per $1,000 of taxable value.
The biggest slash would be to Enterprise Flagler, the public/private economic development organization. Last year, the city funded the entity with $93,500. In the Aug. 9 version of the city’s 2012 budget, Enterprise Flagler would receive $0.
The Palm Coast City Council hasn’t taken a formal position on a specific economic development plan, City Manager Jim Landon confirmed Tuesday.
“We have never received any kind of formal proposal other than the current system is broken and doesn’t work,” Landon said.
County Administrator Craig Coffey has proposed a plan forming an Economic Development Council modeled after the Tourist Development Council.
Mayor Jon Netts said he doesn’t agree with the pay-to-play rule that Coffey proposed. Instead, Netts would rather see the County Commission take a lead.
“If you’re going to do industrial recruitment, let the county do it,” Nett said, adding that his personal preference is to have the county fund and operate the plan.
“The function of this new entity would be to entice businesses to come here to Flagler County,” Netts added.
City Council member Mary DiStefano stressed that if the county is to provide economic development, it can take that money out of ad valorem taxes to set up the program itself.
“Don’t come to me twice,” she said.
Netts said industrial recruitment continues to be a void in Flagler County.
In the end, Landon said Flagler County, which heard a presentation from Enterprise Flagler Aug. 8 (see Page 1), has the next move.
“If Enterprise Flagler is just wounded and can revive itself and get county support, then you will probably get that presentation,” Landon said.
Toward the end, DiStefano wanted confirmation: “You did turn Enterprise Flagler as zero, is that correct?”
Council members and staff replied with a collective “yes.”
Other items being cut include the city’s own economic development program. It originally was slated for $100,000, but council members have agreed to halve that, to $50,000.
Also, the Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool, which is currently open year-round, would be closed from late November to early April — saving the city approximately $57,400.
The City Council also decided to shift revenue from the streets improvement fund to the stormwater fund. This would allow for the millage rate to be shifted for capital projects in stormwater.
There won’t be any new taxes by the city of Palm Coast for 2012 if the current budget proposal is adopted.
The city will hold a special budget workshop Aug. 23; the first public hearing will take place 5:05 p.m. Sept. 14. The final public hearing and final adoption of the 2012 millage rate and budget will be Sept. 27.
Contact Andrew O’Brien at [email protected].
